Bengaluru, Sept. 6 -- A determined century from opener Shubham Khajuria gave North Zone hope on the third day of the Duleep Trophy semifinal against South Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground here today, but the side still faces an uphill battle after conceding a massive first-innings total.
Resuming in pursuit of South Zone's 536, North Zone ended the day at 278 for 5 in 79 overs, trailing by 258 runs. The day belonged to Khajuria, who stood tall amid pressure, compiling a composed and unbeaten 128 that kept his side's chances alive. His innings, marked by grit and textbook strokeplay, featured 15 boundaries and a six.
The start was far from ideal for North Zone. Captain Ankit Kumar was trapped leg-before by left-arm pacer Gurjap...